April
The day of the ball rolled around like clockwork, and I still hadn’t made any progress on the Michael situation. I hadn’t heard from him or Anton, but I didn’t need to in order to know the clock was ticking. I had a little under two weeks, and I was no closer to getting what I needed than I’d been before.
I needed was financial information, stuff that would connect Jason to the illegal dealings of the company. As if it weren’t complicated enough already, I had no idea where to begin looking. What was I supposed to do, sneak into Jason’s office and…do what? Hack his computer? Bust into some safe?
“Are you going to the ball with Dad?” asked Willa as I walked with her down the last block to school.
“Yep, going tonight.”
“Wow. So you’re, like, his date, right?”
“Only technically. We’re just going as friends.”
“So, that’s what you and Dad are? Friends?”
Now that was a thorny question. Sure, not like Jason and I had done anything. But it wasn’t like I didn’t have a major attraction to him. Not that I was going to act on that, but still.
“We’re friends. He’s my boss, and my friend.”
“Just like I’m your boss and your friend, right?”
I laughed. “Well, I don’t know if I’d say boss.”
“Something like that.”
We stopped in front of the school, the kids walking up the steps for a Friday of classes.
“Can I see you before you go out?” asked Willa. “I bet you’re going to look so pretty in your dress.”
“Of course you can.” I gave her a hug before she headed up the stairs, waving one last time to me before disappearing through the doors.
All right, I thought. Now it’s time to totally betray your dad.
I started back to the house, my thoughts echoing. OK, so my job was to give Anton the information that’d allow him leverage over Jason. But what would that mean for him? And what would that mean for Willa?
It was obvious that Jason was keeping his criminal life a secret from his daughter. Of course he was.
But what would happen if I were to pull the plan off? Would Jason, and by extension Willa, be screwed? What if Anton put Jason in a position where he’d be in serious trouble with the law? Or worse?
It hadn’t occurred to me that Jason might not be the only one to suffer. What if I were to put into motion a sequence of events that would, one way or another, take Willa’s father away from her? The poor girl was already without a mother. And I knew the pain of losing your parents.
But what the hell was I supposed to do? They had Michael, and I’d already gotten a taste of what they’d do to him if I didn’t go through with the plan.
I spent the entire walk back to the house stressing over my predicament. Once I was in the entry hall, I stopped. The house was totally silent. Willa was gone, Jason was gone, and none of the housekeepers seemed to be there.
I was alone. It occurred to me that if I were going make any progress, this was the time to do it.
After checking the first floor for anyone, I moved up to the second. The halls were winding, taking strange angles and leading me farther into the mansion. It was hard to believe how big the place was—easily bigger than my entire apartment complex, and then some. It had to be one of the most expensive houses in the city.
Bigger things to think about. It would’ve been impossible to check every single room of the place, but after a quick run-through of the second floor, then the third, I felt comfortable in the idea that I was there alone.
And right at the moment I finished, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Jason.
“Finishing up at the office. Should be there in thirty or so.”
I fired back a quick “sounds good!” before tucking my phone into my back pocket. Half an hour. That might not be enough time to do the job, but I’d at least be able to find someplace to start.
The office seemed like the best place to look. I opened the door slowly, as if someone were listening, watching. The room looked so strange empty, without Jason seated behind that massive desk, those piercing blue eyes fixed on me.